2009 AFC Champions League

The 2009 AFC Champions League was the 28th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 7th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the National Stadium in Tokyo on 7 November 2009. The winners, South Korean club Pohang Steelers, qualified for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

2009 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
Dates18 February – 7 November 2009
Teams35 (from 13 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSouth Korea Pohang Steelers (3rd title)
Runners-upSaudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
Tournament statistics
Matches played111
Goals scored329 (2.96 per match)
Attendance1,396,226 (12,579 per match)
Top scorer(s)Brazil Leandro
(10 goals)
Best player(s)South Korea No Byung-jun
2008
2010

The champions league was expanded to 35 clubs this year, with 5 teams starting from a knockout qualifying stage. An extra stage in the knockout phase was added so that the runners up as well as the winners from the group stage would progress. The previous season winner no longer got a bye through to the knockout round. Each team was allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players this season, one of whom had to be from an AFC Member Association country.

Qualification

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A total of 35 teams participated in the 2009 AFC Champions League.[1]

AFC assessment ranking

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Allocation of entries

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Below is the qualification scheme for the 2009 AFC Champions League:

Qualifying play-off: (5 teams)

Group stage: (32 teams)

The following teams had qualified for qualifying play-off, but were removed as their leagues did not meet the Champions League criteria:

Team Original qualification
  Binh Duong 2008 V-League champions
  Muharraq 2008 AFC Cup winners
  Safa 2008 AFC Cup runners-up

Teams

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In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League. TH means title holders.

West Asia (Group A-D)
Team Qualification App*
Group stage
  Persepolis 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup champions 2nd
  Esteghlal 2007–08 Hazfi Cup winners 2nd
  Sepahan 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup runners-up 5th
  Saba Qom 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup 3rd place 2nd
  Al-Hilal 2007–08 Saudi Premier League champions 5th
  Al-Shabab 2008 King Cup of Champions winners 4th
  Al-Ittihad 2007–08 Saudi Premier League runners-up 5th
  Al-Ettifaq 2007–08 Saudi Premier League 4th place 1st
  Al-Shabab 2007–08 UAE Football League champions 1st
  Al-Ahli 2007–08 UAE President Cup winners 3rd
  Al-Jazira 2007–08 UAE Football League runners-up 1st
  Al-Gharafa 2007–08 Qatar Stars League champions 4th
  Umm-Salal 2008 Emir of Qatar Cup winners 1st
  Bunyodkor 2008 Uzbek League champions
2008 Uzbekistani Cup winners
2nd
  Pakhtakor 2008 Uzbek League runners-up 7th
Qualifying play-off participants
  Dempo 2007–08 I-League champions 1st
  Sharjah 2007–08 UAE Football League 4th place 2nd
East Asia (Group E-H)
Team Qualification App*
Group stage
  Shandong Luneng Taishan 2008 Chinese Super League champions 3rd
  Shanghai Shenhua 2008 Chinese Super League runners-up 5th
  Beijing Guoan 2008 Chinese Super League 3rd place 2nd
  Tianjin Teda 2008 Chinese Super League 4th place 1st
  Kashima Antlers 2008 J. League Division 1 champions 3rd
  Gamba OsakaTH 2008–09 Emperor's Cup winners 3rd
  Kawasaki Frontale 2008 J. League Division 1 runners-up 2nd
  Nagoya Grampus 2008 J. League Division 1 3rd place 1st
  Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2008 K-League champions 2nd
  Pohang Steelers 2008 Korean FA Cup winners 2nd
  FC Seoul 2008 K-League runners-up 1st
  Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 2008 K-League 3rd place 2nd
  Central Coast Mariners 2007–08 A-League premiers 1st
  Newcastle United Jets 2008 A-League Grand Final winners 1st
  Sriwijaya 2007–08 Liga Indonesia Premier Division champions 1st
Qualifying play-off participants
  PSMS Medan 2007–08 Liga Indonesia Premier Division runners-up 1st
  Singapore Armed Forces 2008 S.League champions 1st
  PEA 2008 Thailand Premier League champions 1st
  • Number of appearances (including qualifying rounds) since the 2002/03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League

Schedule

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Date Event
18 December Draw for qualifying play-off
7 January Draw for group stage
18 February Qualifying play-off semi-final
25 February Qualifying play-off finals
10–11 March Group stage Match Day 1
17–18 March Group stage Match Day 2
7–8 April Group stage Match Day 3
21–22 April Group stage Match Day 4
5–6 May Group stage Match Day 5
Date Event
19–20 May Group stage Match Day 6
27 May Round of 16, West Asia
24 June Round of 16, East Asia
29 June Draw for remaining rounds
23–24 September Quarter-finals 1st leg
30 September Quarter-finals 2nd leg
21 October Semi-finals 1st leg
28 October Semi-finals 2nd leg
7 November Final (National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan)

Qualifying play-off

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Preliminary round

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Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Zone
PEA   1–4 (aet)   Singapore Armed Forces

Play-off round

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Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Zone
Singapore Armed Forces   2–1 (aet)   PSMS Medan
West Zone
Sharjah   3–0   Dempo

Group stage

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The draw for the group stage was held on 7 January 2009 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Each club played double round-robin (home and away) against fellow three group members, a total of 6 matches each. Each team had been numbered from 1 to 4, the numbers determine the order of the fixtures.

  • Match Day 1: 1 vs 4, 3 vs 2
  • Match Day 2: 2 vs 1, 4 vs 3
  • Match Day 3: 1 vs 3, 4 vs 2
  • Match Day 4: 3 vs 1, 2 vs 4
  • Match Day 5: 4 vs 1, 2 vs 3
  • Match Day 6: 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4

Clubs receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked according to points and tie breakers are in following order:

  1. Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  2. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned; (Away goals do not apply)
  3. Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned; (Away goals do not apply)
  4. Goal difference in all the group matches;
  5. Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches;
  6. Kicks from the penalty mark if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play;
  7. Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches; (1 point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for each direct red card, 4 points for each yellow card followed by a direct red card)
  8. Drawing of lots.

Winners and runners-up of each group qualified for the next round.

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification HIL PAK SAB AHL
1   Al-Hilal 6 4 2 0 10 4 +6 14 Advance to knockout stage 2–0 1–1 2–1
2   Pakhtakor 6 4 1 1 9 5 +4 13 1–1 2–1 2–0
3   Saba Qom 6 1 2 3 7 9 −2 5 0–1 1–2 0–0
4   Al-Ahli 6 0 1 5 6 14 −8 1 1–3 0–2 3–5

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PRS SHB GHA SHA
1   Persepolis 4 2 1 1 5 6 −1 7 Advance to knockout stage 1–0 3–1 3–1
2   Al-Shabab 4 2 1 1 4 2 +2 7 0–0 1–0 5–0
3   Al-Gharafa 4 1 0 3 7 8 −1 3 5–1 1–3
4   Sharjah[a] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew[b] 1–3 0–2
Source: WorldFootball.net
Notes:
  1. ^ Sharjah were found guilty of fielding an ineligible player Abdelaziz Mohamed Al Mazam during the team’s AFC Champions League match against Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia on 8.4.09. Thus, Al Sharjah were fined USD 4000 and the match was awarded to Al Shabab 3-0. [2]
  2. ^ Sharjah withdrew from the competition with two games remaining. Their results were expunged.[3]

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ITT UMS JAZ EST
1   Al-Ittihad 6 3 3 0 14 4 +10 12 Advance to knockout stage 7–0 1–1 2–1
2   Umm-Salal 6 2 2 2 6 13 −7 8 1–3 2–2 1–0
3   Al-Jazira 6 0 5 1 6 7 −1 5 0–0 0–1 2–2
4   Esteghlal 6 0 4 2 6 8 −2 4 1–1 1–1 1–1

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ETT BUN SEP SHB
1   Al-Ettifaq 6 4 0 2 15 8 +7 12 Advance to knockout stage 4–0 2–1 4–1
2   Bunyodkor 6 2 2 2 5 9 −4 8 2–1 2–2 0–0
3   Sepahan 6 2 1 3 9 7 +2 7 3–0 0–1 2–0
4   Al-Shabab 6 2 1 3 6 11 −5 7 1–4 2–0 2–1

Group E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification NAG NEW ULS BEI
1   Nagoya Grampus 6 3 3 0 10 4 +6 12 Advance to knockout stage 1–1 4–1 0–0
2   Newcastle Jets 6 3 1 2 6 5 +1 10 0–1 2–0 2–1
3   Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 6 2 0 4 4 10 −6 6 1–3 0–1 1–0
4   Beijing Guoan 6 1 2 3 4 5 −1 5 1–1 2–0 0–1

Group F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification OSA SEO SHA SRI
1   Gamba Osaka 6 5 0 1 17 4 +13 15 Advance to knockout stage 1–2 3–0 5–0
2   FC Seoul 6 3 1 2 14 11 +3 10 2–4 1–1 5–1
3   Shandong Luneng 6 2 1 3 10 9 +1 7 0–1 2–0 5–0
4   Sriwijaya 6 1 0 5 7 24 −17 3 0–3 2–4 4–2

Group G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification KAS SUW SHA SAF
1   Kashima Antlers 6 4 1 1 16 6 +10 13 Advance to knockout stage 3–0 2–0 5–0
2   Suwon Samsung Bluewings 6 4 0 2 12 8 +4 12 4–1 2–1 3–1
3   Shanghai Shenhua 6 2 2 2 9 8 +1 8 1–1 2–1 4–1
4   Singapore Armed Forces 6 0 1 5 4 19 −15 1 1–4 0–2 1–1

Group H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification POH KAW TIA CCM
1   Pohang Steelers 6 3 3 0 7 3 +4 12 Advance to knockout stage 1–1 1–0 3–2
2   Kawasaki Frontale 6 3 1 2 10 7 +3 10 0–2 1–0 2–1
3   Tianjin Teda 6 2 2 2 6 5 +1 8 0–0 3–1 2–2
4   Central Coast Mariners 6 0 2 4 5 13 −8 2 0–0 0–5 0–1

Knockout stage

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Bracket

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Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
  Al-Ettifaq 1
  Pakhtakor 2
  Pakhtakor 1 0 1
  Al-Ittihad 1 4 5
  Al-Ittihad 2
  Al-Shabab 1
  Al-Ittihad 6 2 8
  Nagoya Grampus 2 1 3
  Gamba Osaka 2
 Kawasaki Frontale 3
  Kawasaki Frontale 2 1 3
  Nagoya Grampus 1 3 4
  Nagoya Grampus 2
  Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1
  Al-Ittihad 1
  Pohang Steelers 2
  Persepolis 0
  Bunyodkor 1
  Bunyodkor 3 1 4
  Pohang Steelers (aet) 1 4 5
  Pohang Steelers 6
  Newcastle Jets 0
  Pohang Steelers 2 2 4
  Umm-Salal 0 1 1
  Al-Hilal 0 (3)
  Umm-Salal (p) 0 (4)
  Umm-Salal 3 1 4
  FC Seoul 2 1 3
  Kashima Antlers 2 (4)
  FC Seoul (p) 2 (5)

Round of 16

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The draw for the round of 16 of the 2009 AFC Champions League was held on 7 January 2009, along with the draw for the group stage. The West Asian matches were played on 26 and 27 May. The East Asian matches were played on 24 June.


Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia
Al-Hilal   0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)
  Umm-Salal
Persepolis   0–1   Bunyodkor
Al-Ittihad   2–1   Al-Shabab
Al-Ettifaq   1–2   Pakhtakor
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Asia
Nagoya Grampus   2–1   Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Gamba Osaka   2–3   Kawasaki Frontale
Kashima Antlers   2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)
  FC Seoul
Pohang Steelers   6–0   Newcastle Jets

Quarter-finals

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The draw for the quarter-finals and the remaining knockout rounds took place at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 29 June 2009. The first leg matches were played on 23–24 September, with the second leg matches were played on 30 September.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Umm-Salal   4–3   FC Seoul 3–2 1–1
Kawasaki Frontale   3–4   Nagoya Grampus 2–1 1–3
Pakhtakor   1–5   Al-Ittihad 1–1 0–4
Bunyodkor   4–5   Pohang Steelers 3–1 1–4 (a.e.t.)

Semi-finals

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The first leg matches were played on 21 October, with the second leg matches were played on 28 October 2009.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Al-Ittihad   8–3   Nagoya Grampus 6–2 2–1
Pohang Steelers   4–1   Umm-Salal 2–0 2–1

Final

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The 2009 AFC Champions League Final was played on 7 November at National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan.

Al-Ittihad  1–2  Pohang Steelers
Noor   74' Report No Byung-jun   57'
Kim Hyung-il   66'

Top scorers

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Note: Goals scored in qualifying round not counted.

Rank Player Club MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 R16 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2  F  Total
1   Leandro   Gamba Osaka 1 3 2 1 1 2 10
2   Prince Tagoe   Al-Ettifaq 2 3 2 1 8
3   Denilson   Pohang Steelers 3 1 1 2 7
4   Nasser Al-Shamrani   Al-Shabab 1 1 3 1 6
5   Mohammed Noor   Al-Ittihad 1 3 1 5
  Yoshizumi Ogawa   Nagoya Grampus 1 2 1 1 5
  Hicham Aboucherouane   Al-Ittihad 1 1 1 1 1 5
  Dejan Damjanović   FC Seoul 3 1 1 5
  Renatinho   Kawasaki Frontale 1 1 1 1 1 5
  Zaynitdin Tadjiyev   Pakhtakor 1 1 1 1 1 5
  Araújo   Al-Gharafa 1 1 3 5

Fair Play Award

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  Pohang Steelers[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2009 ACL draw – thrilling match-ups". AFC. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2009. [dead link]
  2. ^ Sharjah found guilty of fielding an ineligible player
  3. ^ "Sharjah SC withdraw from ACL". AFC. 4 May 2009. Archived from the original on 7 May 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  4. ^ "Triple treat for Steelers". AFC. Asian Football Confederation. 7 November 2009. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
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